Carry On The Ruse
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day 927a: This day would go down as one of the biggest turning points in Finn's relationship with Elsie. - See Communities tab, Familiar Strangers


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 44th cycle. Now cycle 45!_

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_**INTRODUCING "CHEAT SHEET" - **If you want to know ahead of time when a certain series will be updated next, just reassemble the link below and check out the list, save it, print it, bookmark it, whatever you need!  
Go to: gleekathon [dot] tumblr [dot] com [slash] cheatsheet_

_** UPDATED WITH CYCLE 45 CHEAT SHEET ** Check it out to find out about **shift days**!_

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_**This is a shift day [see above].** There will be another upload this afternoon: Mystery Takeover, chapter 3._

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**"Carry On The Ruse"  
(Future) Finn/Elsie (OC)  
Familiar Strangers #3  
_(all series are now listed under the communities tab in my profile)_**

He'd gone in to Dee's Diner that day, his whole plan figured out, and then… she had that face. It was that sort of 'I need to ask you something, please don't freak out' kind of face. "Hungry?" she had asked immediately, indicating his usual stool.

"Well, it is lunch time," he pointed out.

"Hey, lots of people eat at different hours, and for all I know you're just here for my impeccable service," she teased.

"Well, there's that," he admitted. "Burger and fries?"

"Coming right up," she put the order in, and then… she backpedalled to return in front of him, hesitating before putting her hands on the counter. "I need to ask you something…"

"Okay, shoot," he nodded.

"I have a friend who's moving out of state. He's got a dog, can't take him along. Now, I'd take him in, no problem, but my landlord is fine with Mimi and Leo only because they're small. I asked, and just…" she shook her head. "Now I'm not asking you to take him in permanently, not unless that might be something you're interested in. But he's a really sweet dog, and I promised I'd help find him a good home…" He couldn't help but smile. He knew very well how much she loved her dogs, and it seemed that went to other dogs as well.

"This friend, it's not like an ex of yours, is it?" he had to ask. She chuckled.

"No, no, not even close. Trust me, you don't have to worry, the only ex I've got is Alex and you don't need to worry about him," she promised, and as much as he could tell she wasn't saying everything, he didn't ask her to elaborate on the subject.

"Okay, well I think we could work something out," he nodded, and she looked so completely relieved and happy at once.

"Thank you, Finn, really, it means a lot."

"What's his name?" he asked, loving to see her smile.

"My friend or the dog?" she joked, reaching for her phone and pulling up a picture. She put the phone down for him to see. "His name is Elmer."

"As in Fudd?" Finn looked at the picture and he could definitely see the whole lovable thing.

"I'll give you his number," she reached for a napkin and her pen. "My friend, not the dog," she turned her previous joke around.

"I'll give him a call," Finn promised. After this, Elsie had gone on her rounds, at one time bringing him his lunch. While she was gone, he'd reminded himself about what he'd come here to do that day, and he told himself that when she returned he had to do what he had come to do. He had sort of forgotten how nerve wracking it could be, especially as, with the time, as he got to know Elsie more and more, there was much more of a sense like they knew each other, as friends… The fact that he should have feelings for her, and she for him, remained an unspoken kind of thing, almost as much as the mystery of how he had first known her, before that day when he'd walked in the diner and 'met' her again.

He startled when she dropped on to the stool next to him. "Break time," she announced.

"I think… we should go out," he simply stated, then looked to her. She was staring back at him, curious, perhaps drawn in.

"You do," she bowed her head. He nodded. "Well…" she reflected on this, then turned a smile back on him. "I think… I would really like that," she declared, then after a moment, "Took you long enough." He just had to smirk.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"So, when would this be happening, is there a date envisioned already, or…"

"How's Saturday?" He would have said Friday, but he couldn't imagine she'd be up to it after a day's work, more than that, a week's work.

"Sounds good, I'm in."

"Great," he sat up, feeling like someone had just shot him up with a lightning bolt, he was just restless with energy all of a sudden. Elsie noticed this, discreetly laughing to herself. There was just something about seeing him like this that just couldn't help but cheer her up. Soon they said their goodbyes and he was heading to work again.

He had not once inquired about this big old secret of theirs, of how they had first really met. Actually, since the day when he had told her he wouldn't keep asking, he had kept his promise. Some days he still wondered, still felt like he was missing something not knowing, but then those days weren't anywhere near the majority in how he felt when he was around her. He didn't need shaky memories to tell him how he felt. Back then he wouldn't have felt the same about her, that much was clear to him – he would have remembered her if that was the case.

He thought about what she might know about him, about his past. He was still convinced deep down that she'd gone to McKinley, even if the evidence at hand only told him that she hadn't. So did she know about his past relationships, with Quinn, and with Rachel, or… Apparently all he had to think about with her was one person, who wasn't in the picture anymore by far. But then he didn't really know either of them back then. Maybe Elsie and Alex…

He paused, a strange prickling sensation taking him. He couldn't explain it, except… Elsie and Alex, that sounded familiar to him, Elsie and Alex, except… No, he was thinking of LC and… He heard himself say the names, and he had to close his eyes, realizing now maybe he'd had the answer in front of him all this time. She had said something to that effect at one point, he remembered… There were other things he was remembering now, too.

He saw her in his mind, the blonde Cheerio, the Troubletone. The image he had was blurry, and maybe it could be her, maybe… He had to get home.

When he did, he went and pulled out his yearbook once more. He flipped the pages, looking, looking… If this was the answer and he'd had it in front of him the whole time… There she was. LC Cunningham. He looked at the picture, and now that he could see her, there was no denying it… That was Elsie. Finally he had his answer, and he could just think about showing up at the diner the next day, placing that yearbook in front of her and going 'see? I found you," except it felt like he was forgetting something… someone…

Alex, good Alex who had helped him remember just by having his name so associated with hers… Finn remembered him, too, but not just from school. He remembered the last time he'd gotten news of him, the last time anyone would… It was in the newspaper, reporting the accident, and then the information about the funeral services…

His heart sank. Now he didn't think his whole showing up with the yearbook thing was a good idea. He didn't want to sound victorious about it, not like this, not when he'd gone and remembered it because of/along with Alex. But then what was he supposed to do, just not tell her that he knew, about all of it? No, he would tell her, just not like that.

As it was, they were set for a date on Saturday. She knew who he was, and he knew who she was, and that was all good except he knew she knew, but she didn't know he knew, about so many things. That was why he had to find a way to tell her, just not as he had imagined originally. Knowing who she'd been, that was one thing, and in the long haul it wouldn't change all that much. Except there was the Alex factor, and knowing what had happened to him, how that would have affected Elsie. It would have been easier not knowing.

THE END

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**A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
****In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
****always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!**


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